"If the spirit moves you, feel free to belt out a grito," the perspiring performer says to his Hill Country audience at the Wildhorse Grill in Marble Falls. "A grito is a musical cry from the deepest parts of your soul which expresses both joy and sorrow." Austin-born singer/songwriter john Arthur martinez then shares his own grito igniting the congregation of fans into a chorus of gritos. "Alright, you've convinced me--gringo grito is not necessarily an oxymoron."

The same charisma martinez pours into his live shows, the same blend of joy and sorrow, the same dose of country and small town influences flow through the tracks of his new album, Stand Your Ground. And his words ring with authority. He spent his early childhood on a ranch near Round Mountain, Texas, and like an old oak, john Arthur's roots reach deep into the rocky soil of the Texas Hill Country.

Beginning with the lead track, "The Man Who Holds the Bow," the inspiration for the album dates to "the lessons I learned standing in the pastures of my grandfather's farm--trying to be like him." The road that led to the fulfillment of the album continues onto a winding road experience with a big armadillo. "Spinning Our Wheels" takes the listener into the soul of his community which was spiritually paralyzed by several automobile tragedies involving its youth while he was coaching and teaching at Marble Falls High. "Everything I Never Knew I Wanted" allows us to feel the passion and surprise he felt when he unexpectedly fell for wife Yvonna. Yes, this multi-talented songwriter reveals his affinity for the country life in his gripping lyrics and stunning vocal performances. No, he doesn't just write songs, he has lived them.

Martinez' songs are driven by a desire for success, ambition, and even some failures. But, ultimately they are songs of optimism, which have impressed audiences and critics alike. "I highly recommend checking him out (www.jamrecords.com) as there are many country music fans just waiting for a little diversity," says Felicia Kelly The Album Network (Americana Chart) in her review of the john Arthur's previous independent release, Spinning Our Wheels.

KUT's John Aielli once likened john Arthur's debut on the heralded Eklektikos to the first time he heard Tish Hinojosa which, perhaps, foreshadowed her guest appearance on three of the cuts from Stand Your Ground.

Earlier in his career john Arthur's composition "Seguro Que Hell Yes", co-written with Alex Harvey and Mike Blakely, certainly impressed the executives at Arista Records. The song was the Arista debut single and video release for the Grammy-winning album Flaco Jimenez by Flaco Jimenez, sung by Raul Malo of the Mavericks, Radney Foster, and Lee Roy Parnell, with a cameo video appearance by martinez.

"Stunned! That's how I felt when I heard from Alex (Harvey) that our cocktail napkin gibberish was a part of Jimenez' Grammy nomination (Best Mexican-American Performance, 1995). And then we won."

john Arthur' s musical roots began with his father, a drummer who played in several Austin-area Mexican conjuntos and country bands, and his education-minded mother, who sharpened his poetic instincts. In grade school, john Arthur began writing poetry and was soon writing heartfelt songs. It was in college that john Arthur's singer/songwriter career emerged. An uncle had given him a small amount of money with some advice attached: Buy something you don't need. john Arthur spent the money on a guitar. "At the time, I didn't think I needed a guitar," he recalls. "Of course, now I know I couldn't live without one."

By the time john Arthur graduated from Southwest Texas State University, where he was voted most talented Hispanic and nominated best dancer, he was playing three engagements a week. This has grown to an average of five nights a week including openings for Diamond Rio, Reuben Ramos, The Texas Tornados, Robert Earl Keen, Tish Hinojosa, Emmylou Harris, Holly Dunn, John Prine, Hal Ketchum, Gary P. Nunn, Johnny Gimble and Floyd Tillman.

Recent highlights include an invitation to open the prestigious songwriter showcase of the Ben Crenshaw, Darrell Royal, Willie Nelson Golf Tournament, which included Whitey Shafer, Alex Harvey, Allen Shamblin, Jim Ed Brown, Sonny Throckmorton, Pat Green and Doug Supernaw. With the current release of john Arthur martinez' Stand Your Ground the fruits of his labors are blossoming--ready for the harvest.